12:10 a.m. JANUARY 1, 2010

Last August, I bought a ticket to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra's New Year's Eve concert at The Alabama Theater. But I learned a month ago of another NYE event. So I lost my $30 ticket, but I attended a much better one. Rather than being with 2,000 strangers, many in silk and furs, in a nose-bleed seat in a dark theater downtown from 6-8 p.m., I spent 4+ hours with casually dressed friends, in a well-lit room, with food to spare since we all took some. I got home right at midnight. Eunice & Lorene were able to be there only a few minutes. The rest? 4 men and 4 women. Harold brought his harmonica and Appalachian dulcimer. Boy! Is he good on both! I took my autoharp (mostly in tune). There were some games, though only Rook was played (Joyce, Chester, Marilyn, & Steve). Marlene was mostly cooking. Shane was looking up lyrics & such on his laptop computer. Things got quiet after Steve asked the blessing - you can't talk with your mouth full! Then we got out church song books, and sang ... and sang! I mostly sang lead so Steve could sing tenor, though he told me to take tenor on "Were You There when They Crucified My Lord?" - but I get shrill when I get high, as I'm mostly an alto. We took turns choosing a song. We sang 25 or 30 (not counting the few secular songs with dulcimer and autoharp earlier)! I wish I'd taken my tiny digital recorder! Even with my singing, I think we sounded pretty good. We closed with Steve reading the poem I just wrote, and Harold leading the closing prayer. Since I had to get up as usual at 5 a.m. to go to work on the 31st - the boss did let us leave at 3 p.m., I started fading about 10, but it's going to take awhile to come down from this "high"! What a wonderful way to start not only the new year, but any day! Thanks to God for friends!